Every parliamentary written question tabled by Wendy Morton this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 621–640 of 1,717 · this parliament
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that private investment in development funding is effectively leveraged.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to her on 12 May in response to Question 49375.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase levels of (a) transparency and (b) accountability in the reporting to Parliament of British International Investment’s performance.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to her on 12 May in response to Question 49375.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the UK's role in supporting private sector investment in global health initiatives.
I refer the Hon Member to the answer provided to her on 12 May in response to Question 49375.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the UK’s commitments at the 2025 Nutrition for Growth Summit are implemented through integration with (a) education, (b) immunisation, and (c) other relevant areas of development policy.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is a global leader in nutrition and continues to prioritise nutrition integration across sectors. At the 2025 Nutrition for Growth (N4G) Summit, the UK launched the Global Compact on Nutrition Integration, encouraging all 86 signatories to integrate nutrition into sectors such as education and health, for example through GAVI's Immunisation Nutrition Integration work. Since 2021 the FCDO has adopted a Nutrition Policy Marker, which prompts teams to consider nutrition objectives and integration during programme design. This is applied across programmes on early childhood development, food and agriculture, and social protection that are delivered bilaterally or through multilateral partners.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans her Department has to publish (a) performance data and (b) impact evaluations of programmes funded through Official Development Assistance.
As set out in the Programme Operating Framework (published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-programme-operating-framework) - all Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) programmes are required to have a monitoring framework and to report on performance through annual reviews.The FCDO Evaluation Policy requires publication of evaluation by default and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-evaluation-policy-2025.All planned, live and completed evaluations are registered on the Government Evaluation Registry.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what mechanisms her Department uses to assess the effectiveness of Official Development Assistance programmes.
As set out in the Programme Operating Framework (published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-programme-operating-framework) - all Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) programmes are required to have a monitoring framework and to report on performance through annual reviews.The FCDO Evaluation Policy requires publication of evaluation by default and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fcdo-evaluation-policy-2025.All planned, live and completed evaluations are registered on the Government Evaluation Registry.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of nationalising South Western Railway on passenger rail prices since 25 May 2025.
As more train operators are brought into public ownership through the Department for Transport Operator and the establishment of Great British Railways, we must continue to ensure that passengers and taxpayers receive a fair deal. Since the pandemic, the level of taxpayer subsidy provided to the railway industry has increased from under a quarter of total income in 2018/19 to almost half in 2023/24. Our goal is to balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers, while ensuring the railway’s long-term financial sustainability.
Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to bring forward further legislative proposals on planning reform.
Any new primary legislation will be formally announced to Parliament in the usual way.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of requiring local authorities to make separate food waste collections by 31 March 2026 on (a) council budgets and (b) the provision of other core local authority services .
As set out at the Spending Review, £3.4 billion of new grant funding will be delivered through the Local Government Finance Settlement within financial years 2026-27 to 2028-29. This includes funding for local authorities to deliver Simpler Recycling as part of the Collection and Packaging waste reforms.
Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Written Statement of 23 October 2025 on Housing Delivery, HCWS991, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the new time-limited planning route on the role of (a) local authorities, (b) ward councillors, and (c) planning committees.
On 23 October 2025, the Secretary of State and the Mayor of London announced a new package of support for housebuilding in London. Details can be found on gov.uk here. A consultation on these London-specific measures will be launched in November 2025, and feedback will be welcomed from local planning authorities and local councillors.
Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her Nigerian counterparts on ongoing reports of (a) abduction and (b) forced marriage of Christian women and girls; and what steps she has taken to protect religious minority women in that country.
The UK Government condemns all violence against women and girls, including abduction and forced marriages, across Nigeria. Kidnapping for ransom is sadly a widespread practice in Nigeria, particularly in the Northwest where banditry is prevalent, and communities of all religions and beliefs have been vulnerable. Through the UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP), a Multi-Agency Kidnap Fusion Cell (MAKFC) has been established to support cooperation between Nigeria's security and justice agencies. This is already operational and working to reduce the harm to victims and hold those responsible to account. On 11 November, the Minister for International Development and Africa discussed the root causes of insecurity in Nigeria during a meeting with Nigerian Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar. The UK's Forced Marriage Unit provides support to victims and those at risk of forced marriage, and advice to professionals through its public helpline and inbox, including in Nigeria.
Pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 83833 on Schools: Employers' Contributions, what estimate she has made of the proportion of the £3.7 billion increase in school funding for 2025-26 that will be used to meet additional costs associated with increases in employers’ National Insurance contributions.
As part of the £3.7 billion increase in funding for schools in the 2025/26 financial year, the department is providing mainstream schools and high needs settings with over £930 million to support them with the increases to employer national insurance contributions (NICs) from April 2025.
Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of updating the National Planning Policy Framework to include guidance on the importance of telecommunications infrastructure in new developments.
The National Planning Policy Framework makes clear that advanced, high quality and reliable communications infrastructure is essential for economic growth and social well-being. It sets out that planning policies and decisions should support the expansion of electronic communications networks, including next generation mobile technology. The government intend to consult this year on a new suite of national policies for decision making and we will consider policies on telecommunications as part of that exercise.
Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to the Planning Inspectorate on deciding whether a site is considered grey belt when a decision by a local authority has been appealed.
The Planning Inspectorate has not been issued with specific guidance to support decisions as to whether any given site is considered grey belt when a decision by a local planning authority has been appealed. Nor has it been issued with specific guidance related to consideration of the potential environmental impacts of decisions to designate land as grey belt. In determining whether a site is classified as grey belt at appeal, the relevant Inspector will consider relevant legislation; national planning policy, including the National Planning Policy Framework; Planning Policy Guidance; and any relevant local development plan policies and material considerations.
Communities and Local Government, how many times he has met with the leader of Birmingham City Council to discuss resolving the ongoing bin strikes.
The ongoing waste dispute is a local issue and rightly being dealt with by Birmingham City Council. Secretary of State-appointed Commissioners continue to support the Council in their recovery and improvement journey and provide regular progress reports to the Secretary of State. My department engages regularly with Councils under intervention.
Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the judgement in C G Fry & Son Limited v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government UKSC/2024/0108 on housing delivery.
The Supreme Court judgment in question distinguished between the legal protection provided to European Sites under the Habitats Regulations and the policy protection afforded to Ramsar sites. The government has not undertaken a specific assessment of the impact of the judgment on general housing delivery. The case concerned a very limited set of circumstances and no new planning applications that have come forward since the imposition of nutrient neutrality advice in 2020 will be affected by the Supreme Court’s judgement. While this case has been progressing through the courts, the government has provided significant investment to deliver local mitigation schemes – including in Somerset – to enable development to come forward.
Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to the Planning Inspectorate on considering potential environmental impacts of decisions to designate land as grey belt.
The Planning Inspectorate has not been issued with specific guidance to support decisions as to whether any given site is considered grey belt when a decision by a local planning authority has been appealed. Nor has it been issued with specific guidance related to consideration of the potential environmental impacts of decisions to designate land as grey belt. In determining whether a site is classified as grey belt at appeal, the relevant Inspector will consider relevant legislation; national planning policy, including the National Planning Policy Framework; Planning Policy Guidance; and any relevant local development plan policies and material considerations.
What fiscal steps she is taking to help (a) reduce inflation and (b) increase average annual earnings in the West Midlands.
The government have been clear that inflation has been too slow to come down, and the priority it is placing on tackling the cost of living, as part of its mission to grow living standards.The Bank of England has the responsibility for controlling inflation through monetary policy. The Government fully supports them as they take action to return inflation sustainably to 2%. Maintaining stable public finances and reducing borrowing over time will help to ease pressure on prices. Economic growth will help to increase earnings across the UK, including in the West Midlands.The government’s fiscal strategy is to put the public finances on a sustainable path while prioritising investment to support long-term growth and meeting the fiscal rules.The Chancellor has also asked departments to look at what action on inflation can be taken when developing policies for the Autumn Budget, while ensuring decisions support stability and long-term growth.The Government has committed to £160m of funding over 10 years for the West Midlands Investment Zone, which local partners expect to generate £3.5bn in private sector investment, deliver 30,000 jobs and support higher earnings in the area.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of (a) average annual earnings and (b) prices on household disposable income in 2024-25.
Real Household Disposable Income (RHDI) per capita is a measure of UK living standards, representing the total disposable income per person in the UK, net of taxes and inflation. RHDI per capita grew by 3.1% over 2024. This is the largest calendar year increase since 2015. Average whole economy total pay growth in 2024 was 5.3%. Inflation, as measured by CPI, fell to 2.5% in 2024, which supported RHDI growth in 2024. HM Treasury does not prepare forecasts for the UK economy. Forecasts, including for real household disposable income, are the responsibility of the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). These forecasts are published by the OBR as part of its Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO). In the March 2025 EFO, the OBR forecasted that RHDI per capita would grow by 1.7% in 2025, supported by strong annual earnings growth outweighing the impact from prices.
Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his Department's policy to (a) guarantee that green belt protections in the West Midlands will be maintained under the devolution of planning powers to the regional mayor and (b) require the consent of affected local councils for development on Green Belt land.
The new planning powers and investment flexibilities in the London Housing Delivery package announced jointly with the Mayor of London on 23 October reflect the importance of the Mayor’s role in housing delivery. Through the Planning and Infrastructure and English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bills, we are giving other Mayors these powers so they can also support housing delivery in their area. Green Belt policy will remain set out nationally in the National Planning Policy Framework.